Vanilla Ice -- word to ya mutha -- was a beloved white rapper in the early '90s. Check those groans and eye rolls at the door, kids. Don't care what a washed-up rapper has to say about the current crop of teenage dreams like Justin Bieber and Zayn Malik? Don't dismiss or hate. Ice has an informed point of view since he lived the same lifestyle. And even though his style was eventually clowned on, it's being repeated by modern rappers.

In his heyday, Ice was a HUGE pop star. He had a unique style, namely his baggy Cavaricci pants, the skunk-type stripe in his hair and he knew what it was like to have millions of girls screaming over him. So, like, he gets what Da Biebs and One Direction are going through, so he commented on the current state of affairs as he's had a similar experience.

His advice for the Biebs, currently embroiled in Spitgate and other assorted drama? Well, Ice "knows" Bieber and told GQ, "He's a good kid and he's got great people around him. The bad thing is, they're not always going to be around. There's a transition from being a kid to being an adult, and he's never had that. Concerts every night, autograph signings, endorsements, and so on. That's not what real life is about. You've gotta feel for him, because I've been through the machine and back."

Interesting that he doesn't think the Bieber team can right these wrongs. We disagree. That's what Scooter Braun istaking a commission to do.

But don't expect Ice -- Robert Van Winkle to his mutha -- to drop a call or a text to try and offer some friendly advice on the level, since it'd probably fall on deaf ears. "I don't think Justin's listening to too many people these days," he said. "The only person that's gonna do it for him is himself. The fans turn on you. Not deliberately, they're just onto the next thing."

Spoken like someone who's been through the exact same thing.

Ice was shockingly astute in his observations, saying the only way the Biebs can get it together is through some soul searching. "He's gotta learn his purpose," the rapper said. "When the snow globe that's been rattled up his whole life settles, it's 'Where am I as an adult?' and 'Where do I fit in?' It happened to me. I had a weekend that lasted a few years [laughs] and I had to figure out my purpose. And the great thing is, I found it. I found my family, I found my friends. I found another passion in life. The sad thing about self-destructing is that part is more entertaining than any act they've been in before that."

But Ice isn't worried that the Biebs is too far off the rails. "He'll be alright. He's got some stuff to go through. Hopefully he won't go too far," he mused.

Ice also explained that his baby girl is a huge One Direction fan, so she has showed her dad pictures of Zayn Malik, who once rocked a bleached stripe in his black poufy hair. He joked, "She thought it was me! He had that blonde streak in the middle, the pompadour, everything."

So Vanilla Ice's style influence is felt over 20 years later, even by the likes of A$AP Rocky. That has to make him feel good, since he was vilified when he went out of style. Everything eventually comes back around again with clothes.